In October 2025, Chanelle Bevilacqua, founder of SimpleFixRx.com, reached out to Aurora Analytics, LLC, a chemistry R&D firm at the UMBC Technology Campus, University of Maryland, to explore whether an aerosol or nebulized formulation could be developed for peptide delivery. Working with formulary consultant Chris McDonald and business consultants Mo Zarrugh and Preet Patel, she spoke with healthcare attorneys and outside regulatory counsel, gathered twenty of the company’s current patients, and drew up an outline to see if the method was even feasible.
That question turned into a 30-day preliminary study. This was not an IRB-approved trial. It was an exploratory pilot to see whether the approach warranted further research and fundraising. Here is what happened, what we learned, and where this space goes.
- 20current patients enrolled
- 30day preliminary study
- 19patients finished
- Wk 2changes observed across the group
It isn’t just for peptide use
This work wasn’t just about finding a new way to deliver peptides. It was an attempt to help solve the vaping epidemic.
About 29.3 million Americans aged 12 or older vaped nicotine in the past month in 2025 — roughly 1 in 10 people, up from 8.3% in 2022.1 Among young adults, the concentration is striking: nearly 1 in 4 adults aged 18 to 25 (22.3%) vaped nicotine in the past month, and a 2025 CVS Health survey found that 1 in 3 young adults aged 18 to 28 currently use nicotine products — with 77% of them using e-cigarettes.2 Cigarette smoking, by contrast, has fallen to a record low. But nicotine dependence hasn’t gone away. It has moved into a device that fits in a pocket.
Bevilacqua has worked with multiple addiction physicians for years, trying to find a solution. There is a massive need here, and almost nothing built for it. Most cessation tools were designed for cigarette smokers, not for people who have never smoked and are now dependent on a device they carry everywhere.
Why she started here
Bevilacqua is always reading the latest research, and the numbers pointed the same way. She already runs a national telehealth platform and has operated SimpleFixRx.com for almost four and a half years. Peptide interest is growing, and the public was already comfortable with doctor-guided, at-home treatments. So she asked a simple question: why not meet people where they already are?
But the real question underneath was harder. Why can’t we find something that helps kill the addiction with a device the patient is already using, and at the same time reverse the damage the vaping is causing? Could we use something that restores the lungs, while the patient still gets hand-to-mouth satisfaction? Is it possible?
But how do you measure that? It is hard to measure the efficacy of peptides. We had to start with a peptide that is easily measured in the blood.
The first constraint killed the obvious approach. Heat damages peptides, so a coil-based vape was out before we started. A traditional nebulizer would work chemically, but nobody wants to carry a clinical device. That left a narrow design brief: cold delivery, consistent dose, pocket-sized, and something a person would actually use.
The team landed on an ultrasonic nebulizer, built to look like a vape and charged with an iPhone charger. It avoids coil heat and keeps the device consumer-sized. But it came with its own problem. Peptides are fragile, and when an ultrasonic device agitates a multi-use solution, particles collide. Every reuse makes the dose a little less predictable.
The fix is a single-use cartridge. It protects the peptide, and it makes the dose measurable, which matters when you’re telling people not to overdo an inhaled substance. Refrigerated, overnight shipping also adds cost, cold-chain risk, and leak risk. Replacements get expensive fast.
What the pilot found
Nineteen of the twenty patients finished the study. The team observed changes by week two across the group, and none reported negative outcomes. The 4 week blood test showed the method of delivery was effective, but not effective enough to invest millions when the shot is already effective without all the variables. The technology is feasible.
This is probably why a major drug-delivery company has filed patents for inhaled GLP-1 delivery, yet no such product has reached the market.
But is it commercially viable for a once-weekly injection peptide? No. There are too many variables that would force you to replace medication, and it’s too much work when a single shot doesn’t hurt.
The people who currently vaped or smoked didn’t like the method. A vape gives you a dopamine hit. An inhaled peptide doesn’t. It is basically like a child breathing in albuterol from a breathing treatment, not like taking a hit from a vape. You breathe in, nothing happens, and you wonder why you bothered.
The people who didn’t currently use nicotine handled it fine, but their feedback was still telling. They felt like they were hiding to use it. They thought it took too long, and they didn’t like the image.
The number one complaint was time. The second was convenience. People didn’t want to carry a device, wait for it, or plan their day around it. That is the real finding: the chemistry worked, and the product didn’t.
“The chemistry worked, and the product didn’t.”
Where this actually fits
Does inhaled delivery work? Short answer: for some peptides, not all. The team chose its first test peptide because it is easy to measure in blood. But would Bevilacqua invest the money to replace a once-weekly shot? No.
This is not a GLP-1 story. It’s a peptide-platform story. Inhaled delivery isn’t going to replace a once-weekly injection that already works well and doesn’t hurt. But there is a real space here for daily peptides, and the delivery problem is solvable for the right molecule.
Peptide chain length matters. A 39-amino-acid peptide and a 3-amino-acid peptide are very different engineering problems. That changes what inhalation has to achieve, and how you’d even measure whether it worked.
Bevilacqua sees value in inhaled peptides for sleep. You’re at home, at night, not at school or the office. She also sees value in daily peptides being studied for sleep, neurological support, and general wellness, such as NAD, DSIP, GHK-Cu, and Selank.
The peptides that work here have to be daily use, delivered in single-use cartridges. Anything less frequent already has a good delivery method. Anything that requires a device and a routine has to earn that routine every single day.
What comes next
You never know how an idea will work unless you start trying to develop it. This is Bevilacqua’s experience, and what the team learned when they put the thought into research with the university last year. The real winning combination will come when a company develops a way to help people stop vaping. It is not like quitting smoking. Look at the numbers. Whole new ballgame.
SimpleFixRx.com remains a thought leader in this space, and the company is waiting on regulations to change before it continues the research.
This article describes an early, exploratory pilot. It is not medical advice, and it does not claim that any product is safe or effective for any condition.
The pilot was made possible by SimpleFixRx.com’s patients, the participating physicians, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Aurora Analytics, and consultants Chris McDonald, Mo Zarrugh, Preet Patel, Zach Bailey, and Christy Bermudez.
Important disclaimers
This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not medical, legal, or investment advice.
The study described was a small, exploratory pilot. It was not an IRB-approved clinical trial, was not peer-reviewed, and did not include a control group. The results are preliminary and should not be interpreted as evidence of safety or efficacy for any product or condition.
No product referenced in this article has been evaluated or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety, effectiveness, or quality. Compounded preparations are not FDA-approved and are not reviewed by the agency before they are marketed. Any use of a compounded preparation other than as approved is off-label and carries risk.
Nothing in this article should be read as a claim that inhaled peptide delivery is safe, effective, or clinically proven. Long-term safety data for inhaled peptides is not established, and peptide suitability varies significantly by chain length and formulation.
Statements about where this technology may be useful are the author’s opinions about future research directions, not claims about current clinical use or availability.
The vaping and smoking statistics cited are drawn from publicly available CDC and other government data and are current as of their publication dates. Readers should consult the original sources for the most current figures.
SimpleFixRx.com is not currently offering an inhaled peptide product, and this article should not be read as an announcement of a product, service, or investment opportunity.
Individuals should not begin, stop, or change any medication or treatment based on this article. Consult a licensed physician or other qualified healthcare provider before making any health decision.